1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to methods and systems for processing and displaying video data and in particular to an improved method and system for controlling the selective presentation of commercial advertisements within a video data stream. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method and system for ensuring that particular commercial advertisements within a video data stream are viewed by a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Broadcast television, whether transmitted from a satellite or a cable television provider, provides perhaps the most important advertising media in the world today. The price charged by broadcast networks for limited commercial slots within highly rated broadcasts, such as the Super Bowl, reflect the importance that advertisers place on this medium. However, the advent of remote control devices and video tape recorders has resulted in a situation in which advertising slots may not be seen by a user who xe2x80x9csurfsxe2x80x9d the other channels during advertisement periods.
In recognition of this problem, advertisers often purchase multiple advertisement slots during a single television program or during a series of television programs in order to ensure that consumers will have a high likelihood of having viewed a particular commercial advertisement. Thus, an advertiser may purchase four transmissions of a particular commercial advertisement in order to ensure that a large number of people will view that commercial advertisement. It should therefore be apparent that a mechanism which could ensure that the same number of people view the commercial advertisement utilizing fewer transmissions of the commercial advertisement would be highly desirable.
Additionally, a mechanism whereby transmission of a fewer number of advertisements could ensure that the commercial advertisement is viewed by a larger number of people could substantially increase the economic value of those commercial advertisements to the network while simultaneously increasing the number of users who view a particular commercial advertisement.
Additionally, the digital manipulation of television signals is becoming increasingly common. Satellite transmissions utilizing digital technology as well as so-called xe2x80x9cweb-tvxe2x80x9d are two known techniques whereby digital content is coupled from a provider to a set-top box or receiver at the user""s location. Additionally, the set-top box or receiver is often utilized to enforce billable content, such as whether or not a particular viewer is a subscriber for a selected premium service.
Consequently, it would be desirable to combine the digital technology present within the various set-top boxes and receivers to enhance the efficiency of advertisements within a video data stream.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for processing and displaying video data.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for controlling the selective presentation of commercial advertisements within a video data stream.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for ensuring that a particular commercial advertisement within a video data stream is viewed by a user.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. A method and system are disclosed for controlling visual access by a user to selected broadcast commercial advertisements. A video stream which includes multiple commercial advertisements is broadcast to multiple receivers, each coupled to a video display at a user""s location. Unique identifications of each commercial advertisement and an initiation/termination delimiter signal are also embedded within the video stream. Selected commercial advertisements are then stored within memory within each receiver in response to an indication that a particular video stream containing those commercial advertisements is not currently displayed at a user""s location. Thereafter, these stored commercial advertisements are substituted for alternate commercial advertisements within the video stream at a subsequent time in response to an indication that the particular video stream is once again displayed at a user""s location, ensuring that the selected commercial advertisements are viewed by a user.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.